Battery charge reservation for emergency communications

ABSTRACT

A wireless communications device and method for establishing a voltage threshold at which to turn off electronics of a wireless communications device includes determining a power threshold level at which a device is to be shut off when a battery of the device reaches or drops below the power threshold level. The determined power threshold level may be offset. The amount of power remaining for the battery in the communications device may be measured. The communication device may be shut off based on the offset power threshold level so as to preserve enough power for an emergency message to be generated and sent in the case of an emergency.

PRIORITY

This Application claims priority to Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 61/078,123, entitled: Emergency 911 Text Messaging Services, wasfiled on Jul. 3, 2008; the entire teachings of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wireless communications devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, PDAs,and many other similar devices are prolific in modern society. Onecommonality among most of the devices is the use of batteries to powerthe devices. Batteries, by their very nature, discharge with use and atsome point the battery does not contain sufficient charge to power thedevice. Currently, there are ways to determine battery life remainingfor a device. Additionally, the devices often include a display showingthe amount of time or a percentage of the charge of the batteryremaining.

Users often ignore warnings indicating that there is low power remaininguntil a device ceases to work. If the user has no alternative way topower the device until the battery gets replaced or recharged, thedevice becomes useless. In the event of an emergency or otherwise, thedevice will not allow even a brief communication until the battery isreplaced or another power source is provided.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to provide an emergency power supply to a wirelesscommunications device, a secondary battery may be provided for operatingemergency functions of a wireless communications device. In the casewhere only a single battery is present, a voltage threshold may bedeterrmned and utilized to implement a battery cut off, therebyproviding reserve backup power for use in emergency situations or uponbeing overridden by a user.

One embodiment includes a wireless communications device includingelectronics configured to provide communications over a communicationsnetwork, a primary battery configured to power the electronics during apower-on mode, and a secondary battery configured to power theelectronics in response to an emergency signal being received while theelectronics are in a power-off mode.

Another embodiment of a method for establishing a voltage threshold atwhich to turn off electronics of a wireless communications deviceincludes determining a power threshold level at which a device is to beshut off when a battery of the device reaches or drops below the powerthreshold level. The determined power threshold level may be offset. Theamount of power remaining for the battery in the communications devicemay be measured. The wireless communications device may be shut offbased on the offset power threshold level.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described indetail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which areincorporated by reference herein and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of an illustrative environment for communicatingan emergency message to a Public Safety Answering Point;

FIG. 2A is a block diagram of illustrative components of a wirelesscommunications device configured to communicate an emergency message;

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of illustrative modules used for batterymanagement as well as communication of an emergency message, accordingto principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2C is a flowchart of an illustrative process for determiningbattery shutoff timing;

FIG. 2D is a block diagram of illustrative components of a wirelesscommunications device configured to provide reserve power for anemergency communication by using a secondary battery;

FIG. 3A is an illustration of an illustrative battery power meter alongwith relevant threshold levels used for determining battery shut-off;

FIG. 3B is a graph of an illustrative voltage versus time curve for awireless communications device with a single battery;

FIG. 3C is a diagram of an illustrative voltage versus time curve for aprimary battery from an embodiment with a primary and a secondarybattery;

FIG. 3D is a diagram of an illustrative voltage versus time curve for asecondary battery from an embodiment with both a primary and secondarybattery;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of one embodiment of a process for establishing avoltage threshold at which to turn off electronics of a wirelesscommunications device for emergency message power preservation;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a process for establishing apower threshold at which to turn off electronics of a wirelesscommunications device;

FIG. 6A is an illustration of a screen shot displayed in one embodimentwhen battery power reaches a threshold;

FIG. 6B is an illustration of a screen shot displayed in one embodimentwhen a user attempts to power on a device that has been previouslypowered down to reserve emergency backup power; and

FIG. 6C is an illustration of a screen shot displayed in one embodimentdepicting a portion of a display screen being powered by backup power.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of an environment 100 for communicating anemergency message 101 from a wireless communications device 102 to aPublic Safety Answering Point (PSAP) 104. The wireless communicationsdevice 102 may be mobile telephones, pager, personal digital assistants(PDAs), wireless electronic games, multi-mode telephones, or otherelectronic devices capable of communicating emergency data messages(EDMs) to PSAPs over a communications network 106. The emergency datamessage or emergency message 101 may include an SMS or text message,instant messages (IMs), e-mail, photo messages, video messages, voicemessage or any other format the PSAP 104 is configured to receive andthe communications network 106 is configured to communicate. Thecommunications network 106 may be a cellular network, the publicswitched telephone network (PSTN), the Internet, or any communicationsnetwork configured to communicate with the PSAP 104.

As not all wireless communications devices are configured to generatepreformatted emergency data messages, a user may generate andcommunicate a freeform emergency data message (e.g., text message,e-mail, instant message, image message) to a network address, such asInternet domain name “911.911,” for routing to a PSAP local to the user.A freeform emergency data message is any data message that is addressedand communicated to a network address for routing to a PSAP local to theuser.

There are different configurations of PSAPs 104, where different PSAPshave different capabilities. Some PSAPs 104 ate compatible with E911Phase I, while others are compatible with E911 Phase II, as is commonlyknown in the art. For less advanced PSAPs 104, only basic information,such as the telephone number of the caller and a name registered may becommunicated. More advanced PSAPs 104 include much greater detail, wheresome are capable of determining coordinates and physical addresses ofmobile phone users.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram of components 200 of a wirelesscommunications device 102 of FIG. 1 configured to communicate anemergency message. The wireless communications device 102 may include aprocessor 202 for processing the emergency message. The processor 202may execute software 204 capable of performing the functionality of thewireless communications device 102. Software modules that operate in thesoftware 204 are described below in more detail in reference to FIG. 2B.A light emitting diode (LED) 205 may be provided for indicating powerstatus of the wireless communications device. Alternatively oradditionally, a power status indicator may be displayed on a displayscreen 206. The display screen 206 may further display a number beingdialed, text being sent, and any other information as is customary on awireless communications device. The full display screen 206 may bepowered at any given time or one or more portions of the display screen206 may be powered independently from the rest of the screen.Configuring a portion of the display screen 206 to be poweredindependently from the rest of the display screen 206 allows for reducedbattery consumption by powering a reduced portion of the screen, as wellas the ability for a small part of the display screen to remain operablefor initiating emergency functions.

An emergency text messaging switch 208 may be provided for initiating anemergency message from the wireless communications device 102. Theemergency text messaging switch 208 may be a hard-button, such as atraditional key on a keypad, or may be a soft-button, such as found on adevice with a touch screen. When the emergency text messaging switch 208is depressed or otherwise activated, an emergency text message may begenerated and communicated to a PSAP. A more detailed description of thegeneration and communication is described below in greater detail.

Memory 202 may also be located within the wireless communications device102 for storing data being processed by the processor 206. The memory202 may be removable, such as flash memory, or fixedly attached withinthe wireless communications device 102, such as SDRAM, or any othermemory configured to store data within the wireless communicationsdevice 102. Within the memory 210 may be an offset 212 representing anamount of power that a user or other entity decides is an appropriatemargin above a traditional battery power level shutoff 214. The offset212 may be an adder (e.g., 3%), a multiplier (e.g., 1.5), or any othervalue used to modify or adjust an existing voltage, current or batterypower level shutoff 214. In an alternative embodiment, a set powerlevel, not specifically tied to the battery power level shutoff 214, mayalso be used for the offset 212. The battery power level shutoff 214 maybe configured to represent the power level at which the power remainingin a battery is not sufficient to power the wireless communicationsdevice 102. The battery power level shutoff 214 may be determined basedon continuously monitoring the power level or may be determined inadvance and preprogrammed into the wireless communications device 102.Once the battery power level shutoff 214 has been set, calculationsusing the offset 212 and the battery power level shutoff 214 may be madeto determine when to power off the wireless communications device 102 inorder to reserve enough power in the battery for at least one emergencycommunication to be communicated. The offset 212 and battery power levelshutoff 214 is described below in greater detail in FIG. 3.

An input/output (I/O) unit 215 may be provided for communicatingemergency messages as well as providing for the traditionalfunctionalities of the wireless communication device 102, as commonlyknown in the art. The I/O unit 215 may additionally include atransceiver (not shown) for transmitting an emergency message to a PSAPor remote location and for receiving and sending communications ascommonly performed by a wireless communications device 102.

A primary battery 216 may be included to provide power to the wirelesscommunications device 102. In one embodiment, only one battery, theprimary battery 216, may be present. If only the primary battery 216 ispresent, the wireless communications device 102 may be configured topower down according to calculations using the offset and battery powerlevel shutoff in order to reserve power in the event the wirelesscommunications device 102 is needed for one or more emergency messagesto be communicated.

In another embodiment, an optional secondary battery 218 may be presentto provide power to the wireless communications device 102 duringemergency situations in case the primary battery 216 is out of charge.The presence of the optional secondary battery 218 may obviate the useof the offset 212 as described previously. If an optional secondarybattery 218 is present, the battery power level shutoff 210 may be thecorrectional point (i.e., without offset) at which the wirelesscommunications device 102 is configured to shut down. In one embodiment,the secondary battery 218 may be used upon depletion of the primarybattery 216 and in response to a request for communicating an emergencymessage. Alternatively, the secondary battery 218 may be used in anynumber of other circumstances in which the primary battery 216 is notable to provide power and the device is needed.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of modules used for battery management aswell as communication of an emergency message, according to principlesof the present invention. A battery status module 232 may provideinformation regarding the amount of power left in one or more batteries.The battery status module may keep track of the current chargeremaining, use historical information to determine an estimated amountof time remaining for the device, as well as other functions regardingthe status of the battery. A battery threshold module 234 may manageinformation used to manage the battery and determine a battery powerthreshold at which to turn off the wireless communications device. Thebattery threshold module 234 may work in coordination with the batterystatus module 232 using available data, such as the amount of time aprevious battery charge lasted before becoming inoperable, the currentremaining charge, current operating time of the battery, and otherrelevant calculations to determine a shut off time for the wirelesscommunications device.

A maintaining emergency functions module 236 may be configured toprovide an emergency reserve of battery power for the wirelesscommunications device 102. Either independently or by using the batterystatus module 232, as well as the battery threshold module 234, themaintaining emergency functions module 236 may determine how much chargeis necessary to provide the wireless communications device 102 withenough power to communicate at least one emergency communicationsmessage. Using the determined charge information, the maintainingemergency functions module 236 may attempt to reserve enough batterypower for communicating at least one emergency message to a PSAP whenthe wireless device is configured with a single battery.

Depending upon the status or mode of the device at the time an emergencymessage request is made, the wireless communications device may operatedifferently. There are at least two modes for the wirelesscommunications device 102, a power-on mode and a power-off mode. In thepower-on mode, the wireless communications device is currently on, andin the power-off mode, the wireless communications device is currentlyoff. While in the power-on mode, when it is determined that the powerlevel has crossed a set power threshold, the maintaining emergencyfunctions module 236 may be configured to automatically place thewireless communications device in power-off mode. Accordingly, thepower-off mode may occur either manually, such as when a user chooses toturn off the device, or automatically, such as when the maintainingemergency functions module 236 places the device in power-off mode. Inone embodiment, the maintaining emergency functions module 236 may beconfigured to allow a user to override the power reserve and use theremaining battery life for actions other than emergency communications.

A generate emergency message module 238 may also be present within thewireless communications device 102 for generating and enabling thecommurucation of an emergency message from the wireless communicationsdevice. The generate emergency message module 238 may be initiated by a“hard-key” or “hard-button” configured to initiate an emergency messageor other emergency signal by the wireless communications device 102. Thehard-key may be a dedicated button configured to initiate the emergencycommunication, or may be a key with multiple functions, where one of thefunctions initiates the emergency communication. For example, an On/Offbutton may be configured to (i) power on or off the device, (ii)initiate the generate emergency message module 238 if pressed in aunique pattern or some other variation. In one embodiment, a soft-key,such as an icon on a touch screen enabled device, may also be configuredto cause the generate emergency message 238 to generate an emergencymessage 238 to generate an emergency message.

FIG. 2C is a flowchart of a process 250 for determining battery shutofftiming. At step 252, the presence of a battery backup is determined. Ifthere is no battery backup or secondary battery, at step 256, a batteryshutoff may occur when the battery is 1.5 times, for example, a powerthreshold level (V), where the power threshold level may be apredetermined power level at which the battery no longer contains enoughpower to operate the wireless communications device 102. By using amultiplier, such as 1.5, of the power threshold level, the battery forthe wireless communications device 102 will contain enough reservecharge to communicate an emergency communications message, if requestedto do so. While 1.5 is used as an example multiplier, any multiplier maybe suitable depending on the power that is determined to be necessary tocommunicate an emergency communications message.

It should be understood that different wireless communications devicesmay have different power requirements. If there is a backup batterypresent within the wireless communications device 102, rather than usingan offset as in the single battery configuration, the battery may beconfigured to shutoff at the power threshold level V at step 254.Because of the presence of a backup battery, the entire charge remainingin a primary battery may be used for normal functions of the wirelesscommunications device 102. In the event an emergency communicationsmessage becomes necessary to be communicated, the backup battery may beused to power the wireless communications device 102.

FIG. 2D is a block diagram of illustrative components 260 of a wirelesscommunications device configured to provide reserve power for anemergency communication by using a secondary battery. In one embodiment,two batteries may be present—a primary battery 262 and a secondarybattery 264. The primary battery 262 may serve as the main power sourcefor the wireless communications device. The secondary battery 264 may besmaller and provide less power duration than the primary battery 262.The secondary battery 264 may also be made of different material thanthe primary battery 262, thereby resulting in different capacity orcharge life. In one embodiment, charging of both batteries occurssimultaneously any time the wireless communications device is beingcharged.

The primary battery 262 may be connected to an on/off button 266, withthe on/off button 266 being responsible for sending an on/off signal 270through a switch 268 to a processor 272, to power on and off thewireless communications device. When turned on, the primary battery 262may be used to power normal operating functions of the wirelesscommunications device.

In an alternative embodiment, the on/off button 266 may also function asan emergency communication hard key. In the event that the on/off button266 also functions as the emergency communication hard key, adistinctive pattern or predefined sequence for depressing the on/offbutton 266 may be used to distinguish between a desire to power on oroff the device or to send an emergency communications message. Otherhard keys (not shown) on the wireless communications device maysimilarly perform multiple functions and may be used in place of theon/off button 266 as an emergency communication hard key.

The secondary battery 264 may be connected to an emergency communicationhard key 274. The emergency communication hard key 274 may be a buttonwith the sole function of initiating an emergency communication 278 ormay be a multi-purpose button, as described previously. In oneembodiment, when the emergency communication hard key 274 is activated,the secondary battery 264 may power the wireless communications device,in whole or in part, and send the emergency communication 278 through aswitch and on to the processor 272. In another embodiment, the secondarybattery 264 is limited to powering the wireless communications devicewhen the wireless communications device is in the power-off mode. Inother words, the primary battery 262 would continue to power thewireless communications device and would be responsible for sending theemergency communication if signaled to do so while the device is in thepower-on mode.

In one embodiment, the emergency communication hard key 274 may beilluminated by a light source that illuminates the emergencycommunication hard key 274 with less light than other hard-keys. If keyson a wireless communications device are ordinarily lit by an LED andpowered by the primary battery, when the wireless communications deviceis powered off, none of the keys would ordinarily be lit. In oneembodiment, the emergency communication hard key 274 may be litseparately, whether powered on or powered off with an LED light thatreleases less light than the other keys. Alternatively, illumination maybe provided with the same or more light than normally provided for otherkeys. It is important to note that although not depicted in the figure,the illumination of the emergency communication hard key 274 may beprovided by either the primary or the secondary battery.

FIG. 3A is an illustration 300 of an illustrative battery power meter302 along with relevant threshold levels used for indicating batterypower level to notify a user of battery shut-off. The battery powermeter 302 may be visually depicted on a wireless communications device102. A circuit or software program may measure and calculate power levelfor display on the battery power meter 302. For purposes of clarity, inaddition to a power threshold level 304, the battery power meter 302 isbeing displayed to illustrate the concept of an offsetted powerthreshold level 306. The power threshold level 304, as describedpreviously, is the point at which there is no longer enough charge topower the wireless communications device. The power threshold level 304may be used for shutting down the wireless communications device 102once the battery power crosses the power threshold level 304. In theconfiguration where there is only a single battery, the offsetted powerthreshold level 306 may be incorporated into the wireless communicationsdevice 102 to provide enough reserve battery power for powering up thewireless communications device and sending an emergency messagecommunication. In other embodiments, whether there is a backup batteryor not, the wireless device may still incorporate an offsetted powerthreshold level 306 to the primary battery for various other functions,such as reserving power for traditional communications other thanemergencies.

If the power threshold level setting 308 is currently at 15%, thewireless communications device may be configured to power down thedevice with 15% of the battery level remaining. By definition, the powerthreshold level is the point at which there would no longer be enoughavailable battery power to power the wireless communications device,including communicating an emergency message. A multiplier 310, such as1.5, as described previously, may be selected for the offsetted powerthreshold level. Alternatively, an adder 312, such as 3% may be added tothe power threshold level 308 for determining the offsetted powerthreshold level. Although described as using the power threshold level,a voltage threshold level or current threshold level may equivalently beutilized to manage battery shutoff and offset levels.

FIG. 3B is a graph of an illustrative voltage versus time curve 300 fora wireless communications device with a single battery. The curveillustrates that the voltage (V) of the wireless communication graphdeclines over time, starting at a max voltage (Vmax) for the battery. Attime T₁, a first threshold (1.5V %) is crossed. If an emergencycommunication offset is in place for the wireless communications device,at time T₁, the device may be automatically powered down. Time T₂represents the lowest voltage at which the device may operate. The timeinterval between time T₁ and time T₂ may be considered the emergencytime interval 322 that is reserved for an emergency communication. Asdescribed previously, the emergency time interval 322 may be overriddenby a user, however, the ability to communicate an emergency message maybe compromised until the battery is recharged.

FIG. 3C is a diagram of an illustrative voltage versus time curve 330for a primary battery from an embodiment with a primary and a secondarybattery. A forced power off 332 is depicted at time T₁. For a forcedpower off 332, the voltage level (V) drops immediately from V_(on) toV_(off). A second curve, drain power off 334, is also depicted. Thedrain power off 334 curve represents a battery's natural discharge overtime. At time T₁, the voltage for the battery reaches V_(off), with asimilar result as the forced power off 332.

FIG. 3D is a diagram of an illustrative voltage versus time curve for asecondary battery from an embodiment with both a primary and secondarybattery. At time T₁, the same time as the V_(off) in FIG. 3C, the powercurve 342 for the secondary battery switches from the V_(off) level tothe V_(on) level, and may serve as a backup power supply to a device.Similar to the drain power off 334 curve in FIG. 3C, The power curve 342also depicts the battery's natural discharge over time. The secondarybattery may be used solely for an emergency backup in the even that theprimary battery is drained, however in other embodiments, the secondarybattery may also be used any time an emergency communications is neededand the primary battery is powered down.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of one embodiment of a process 400 forestablishing a voltage threshold at which to turn off electronics of awireless communications device for emergency message power preservation.At step 402, an amount of power used by the wireless communicationsdevice to perform a powered-down emergency communication may bedetermined. The determination of the amount of power used to perform apowered-down emergency communication may include determining the amountof power used to perform an emergency power-up sequence, connecting withthe communications network, communicate a pre-established message to thecommunications network, and provide a notification that the message wascommunicated to a user of the wireless communications device. Anemergency power-up sequence may be an abbreviated power-up sequence thatpowers up nimal components or performs minimal software startup to beenergy efficient and fast start-up. The powered-down emergencycommunication may be used when power to the wireless communicationsdevice is off and a user initiates an emergency message request. Apre-established message may be stored locally in the wirelesscommunications device. A user may also have the ability to change,select, or add the pre-established message. The pre-established messagemay not be alterable in other embodiments. The notification that amessage was communicated to the user may be a visual indication, such asa flash of a light, an audio indication, such as a beep, or any numberof indications that allow a user to know that the message wascommunicated. Certain emergencies may call for more discretion in thenotification, such as a person hiding from a burglar who may not wantany noise to be emitted, therefore the notification may be selected bythe user in advance or at the time of the request.

In step 404, a voltage threshold of a battery of the wirelesscommunications device may be established that, when measured, causes theelectronics to turn off so as to ensure that the wireless communicationsdevice has sufficient power to perform at least one powered-downemergency communication if activated by a user. Using informationobtained in step 402, the voltage threshold of the battery may beestablished in step 404. The voltage threshold may also allow for anynumber of powered-down emergency communications. The number may beestablished by default or by a user of the device.

In step 406, a turn-off voltage threshold parameter may be set in thewireless communications device based on the established voltagethreshold that causes the wireless communications device to turn off ata certain battery voltage level to ensure sufficient battery powerremains to perform at least one powered-down emergency communication.The established voltage threshold may be set as a parameter within thecommunications device, with the ability to adjust or eliminate theturn-off voltage threshold parameter made possible by the wirelesscommunications device.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a process 500 forestablishing a power threshold at which to turn off electronics of awireless communications device. At step 502, a power threshold level atwhich a device is to be shut off when a battery of the device reaches ordrops below the power threshold level may be determined. The powerthreshold level may be determined based on emergency power-up sequencecalculations as described above. The power threshold level may bealtered over time as the battery wears out over time. At step 504, thedetermined power threshold level may be offset. The offset may bedetertiuned based on the amount of power necessary to communicate atleast one emergency communication, as described previously. An abilityto offset power for multiple emergency communication messages or othercommunication may also be factored into the offset. The offset may beset by a user, by a manufacturer, or in any number of other ways.Additionally, the offset may be configured to be overridden in the eventa user chooses to deplete emergency reserve power. At step 506, theamount of power remaining for the battery in the communications devicemay be measured. The current battery power remaining may be measured andused for calculations to determine an appropriate time to shut off thedevice. At step 508, based on the offset power threshold level, thecommunication device may be shut off. Using the measured amount of powerfrom step 506 as well as the determined power threshold level from step504, the device may be shut off at the correct power threshold, takinginto account any established offset.

FIG. 6A is an illustration of a screen shot 600 displayed on a wirelesscommunications device in one embodiment when battery power reaches apower threshold level while the device is in a power-on mode. In oneembodiment, the wireless communications device may include a hard-keypower button 602 configured to signal the device to be powered on orpowered off, a display screen 604 for displaying text and other data toa user, and a keyboard 606 for providing input into the wirelesscommunications device. The screen shot 600 depicts a warning message“Battery power is running low . . . shutting down to reserve emergencybackup power . . . . ” A user of the wireless communications device maychoose to override automatic shutdown by selecting a cancel button 607.The cancel button 607 may be a soft-key, in the event the wirelesscommunications device is touch screen enabled Alternatively or inaddition, the cancel button 607 may be a hard-key located on thewireless communications device. Automatically shutting down the devicemay be a default selection occurring without user intervention. The usermay also select an allow button 608 to immediately shut down thewireless communication device.

FIG. 6B is an illustration of a screen shot 610 displayed in oneembodiment when a user attempts to power on a device that has beenpreviously powered down to reserve emergency backup power. In oneembodiment, the wireless communications device may include a hard-keypower button 612 configured to signal die device to be powered on orpowered off, a display screen 614 for displaying text and other data toa user, and a keyboard 616 for providing input into the wirelesscommunications device. The screen shot 610 depicts a warning message“Device has been shut down to reserve emergency backup power. Do youwish to continue, and reduce or eliminate emergency backup poweranyway?” A user of the wireless communications device may choose topower on the device by selecting a YES button 617. The YES button 617may be a soft-key, in the case where the wireless communications deviceis touch screen enabled, or a hard-key located on the wirelesscommunications device.

FIG. 6C is an illustration of a screen shot 620 displayed in oneembodiment depicting a portion of a display screen being powered bybackup power. In one embodiment, the wireless communications device mayinclude a hard-key power button 622 configured to signal the device tobe powered on or powered off, a display screen 624 for displaying textand other data to a user, a keyboard 625 for providing input into thewireless communications device, and a soft-button 626 for initiating anemergency communication message. The screen shot 620 depicts thesoft-button 626, which may appear on the display screen 624 that is onlypartially powered. The display screen may be segmented into sectionswith each section being able to be independently powered by a powersource, such as a primary or secondary battery. Having the displayscreen only partially powered allows for the wireless communicationsdevice to retain the soft button 626 feature while conserving batterypower.

Although the principles of the present have primarily been describedwith regard to wireless communications devices, it should be understoodthat wired communications devices, including wired/wireless computers,may be adapted to include emergency messaging, as described herein. Oneor more buttons or other initiation devices may be provided on the wiredcommunications devices to generate and communicate an emergency datamessage to a network location for routing to a PSAP local to the user.In adapting the wired communications devices, software may be includedin the devices to generate and communicate an emergency data message(e.g., text message or email) using a communications protocol that iscapable of being communicated over the communications network (e.g.,public switched telephone network, cable network, Internet), asunderstood in the art. Information specific to the user, location of theuser, or otherwise may be included in the emergency data message. Forexample, name, address, number of people in residence, photograph,medical conditions, or any other information may be pre-established forretrieval and inclusion in the emergency data message, thereby providinginformation to an operator at a PSAP to provide emergency personnel,such as police, firemen, or medical personnel.

The previous detailed description is of a small number of embodimentsfor implementing the invention and is not intended to be limiting inscope. One of skill in this art will rmmediately envisage the methodsand variations used to implement this invention in other areas thanthose described in detail. The following claims set forth a number ofthe embodiments of the invention disclosed with greater particularity.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:
 1. A wireless communications device comprising: adisplay screen; an electronics system configured to providecommunications over a communications network; a primary batteryconfigured to power the electronics during a power-on mode; a secondarybattery configured to power the electronics in response to an emergencysignal being received while said electronics are in a power-off mode;wherein the electronics system: establishes a voltage threshold of theprimary battery to ensure that the wireless communications device, atthe voltage threshold, has sufficient power for an emergencycommunication; establishes an offsetted power threshold that is amultiplier of the voltage threshold; displays, on the display, a batterypower meter that indicates both the voltage threshold and the offsettedpower threshold; generates a pre-established emergency message inresponse to the emergency signal, wherein the pre-established emergencymessage is directed to an emergency service provider associated with theemergency signal, and wherein the secondary battery powers only aportion of the display screen while said electronics are in power-offmode, with a second portion of the display screen remaining unpowered,such that the display screen is only partially powered to allow thedisplay screen to retain some functionality while conserving power ofthe secondary battery.
 2. The wireless communications device accordingto claim 1, further comprising: a hard-key configured to automaticallygenerate the emergency signal in response to a user activation, whereinthe pre-established emergency message is sent to an emergency serviceprovider associated with the hard-key and is not a call.
 3. The wirelesscommunications device according to claim 2, wherein said hard-key ispowered by said secondary battery.
 4. The wireless communications deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein said hard-key has a light source thatilluminates the hard-key with less light than other hard-keys.
 5. Thewireless communications device according to claim 2, wherein theemergency signal is identified by pulses generated in response to a userpressing said hard-key in a predefined sequence.
 6. The wirelesscommunications device according to claim 1, wherein the secondarybattery is limited to powering said electronics to only when theemergency signal is received while said electronics are in the power-offmode.
 7. A method for establishing a voltage threshold at which to turnoff electronics of a wireless communications device so as to preserveenough power to communicate an emergency message over a communicationsnetwork, the method comprising: determining an amount of power used bythe wireless communications device to perform a powered-down emergencycommunication, including performing an emergency power-up sequence,powering only a portion of a display screen of the wirelesscommunication device while a second portion of the display screenremains unpowered, connecting with the communications network,communicating a pre-established message to the communications network inresponse to selection by a user of a dedicated button of the wirelesscommunications device, and providing a notification that the message wascommunicated to the user of the wireless communications device; andestablishing a voltage threshold level of a battery of the wirelesscommunications device that, when measured, causes the electronics toturn off so as to ensure that the wireless communications device hassufficient power to power only the portion of the display screen whilethe second portion of the display screen remains unpowered andcommunicate the pre-established message to an emergency service providerassociated with the selection; setting a turn-off voltage thresholdparameter in the wireless communications device based on an offsettedpower threshold level, the offsetted power threshold level based on amultiplier of the voltage threshold, the turn-off voltage thresholdparameter causing the wireless communications device to turn off at acertain battery voltage level to ensure sufficient battery power remainsto perform at least one powered-down emergency communication; anddisplaying, on a battery power meter, both the voltage threshold leveland the offsetted power threshold level.
 8. The method according toclaim 7, further comprising storing an offset value in a memory locationof the communications device.
 9. The method according to claim 7,further comprising providing a user a selectable option to turn on andoff offsetting of the power threshold level.
 10. The method according toclaim 7, further comprising in response to receiving an emergencymessage request, while the wireless communications device ispowered-down, utilizing at least a portion of the remaining power in thebattery to communicate the pre-established emergency message.
 11. Themethod according to claim 10, further comprising in response to a userattempting to turn on the wireless communications device, after beingpowered-down, displaying a message notifying the user that emergencymessage capabilities will be reduced or lost if power-up continues andenables the user to select whether to continue with power-up.
 12. Themethod according to claim 10, wherein communicating the emergencymessage includes communicating a text message.